E-design Project Update!

I have some clients that have been working so hard on their place and I wanted to share some progress on the project! 

Remember this e-design project?

This was the dining room portion of the e-design! 

And this is the before photo:

And this is the project now!!! 

I love the transformation! A big shout out to the clients who are doing a great job following the design through! I cant wait to see the finished room!!! :)

Christmas at Our House!

Hard to believe that Christmas is only 14 days away with it being 70 degrees outside this past week!!! Regardless of the weather, we have finally finished our Christmas decorations!  Ive got TONS of pictures and wanted to share what we've been working on!

The tricky part about our house is I have to find ways to decorate without using red and green items! I like our decorations to match our everyday decor so it requires lots of crafty projects, spray paint, and sparkle!

Garrett and I laughed hysterically when we first brought in our tree! We asked for an 8' but walked away with 9' and had to do some trimming....

Here is the finished tree...

Garrett says it looks like a winter wonderland... (Probably code for "Lauren, you went overboard!")

This is a panoramic view of our Christmas Winter Wonderland! :)

(Click to Enlarge!)

And here are some photos of the individual spaces...

Some of the details....

On our gallery wall, I switched out a couple photos with Christmas printables! 

I also put a glittery mat to make it a little more festive! Easy and cheap!

I painted one of my favorite Christmas songs onto a mirror using a gold paint pen! It is hard to capture on camera! Dedicating this project to my wonderful Aunt Nook! I have distinct memories singing this song with her in her car with the windows down! Go tell it on the mountain!

Another quick project that I did this year was make tons of these pom poms! They are so easy to make! (Hmm...Might have to do another blog post of a tutorial!) 

I love to stick fresh greenery anywhere I can! The smell is wonderful and its a great, easy space filler! Beside it are some faux snowballs I made!

My favorite ornaments hanging from the bar using twine! 

I also set out my brooch bouquet that I carried for our wedding last year! It reminds me of our big day and instantly makes me feel wonderful! 

Our stockings ready to be filled...

This is a new wreath I got this year from West Elm! I also purchased the felt garland which I absolutely LOVE! 

Merry Christmas!!! 

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Check out these free Christmas Printables:

http://www.everythingetsy.com/2012/11/101-christmas-printables/

An's Fun Loft Space!!!

I am so excited to share an e-design I just finished! This young lady just moved into an open loft and had literally nothing to start with! Luckily for her, she got just what she wanted:  An urban, fun, modern space with small traditional touches! We played with pattern, graphic elements and fun color (without going over board!)  

Here is the space before!

And this is the plan!!! Cant wait to see how everything turns out!!!

One Room, Two Options!

I just finished another design for a client and wanted to share! I did two different versions for the same room... one more modern and the other more traditional! The client decided that they liked the more traditional option better! You can see them both below!

The paint color is the boards background: Benjamin Moore Shale! One of my favorites! It works great with both grays and tans!  The headboards are surprisingly from HSN.com! We splurged on a few items while saving on others! The bedding is from West Elm (another fav!) The first option is more contemporary because of the colors and graphic patterns!  The second option has several gold touches which help give it both a traditional and updated look! 

Thats all for today!  :)

My Favorite Fall Etsy Findings!

Its been a little while since Ive done an ETSY roundup so I thought I would share a few of my favorite fall things! I am a true believer that your fall decor doesn't have to be orange or red!  Sometimes its more about the texture of the item! I also like my decor to match my everyday decor I have in my house! Same goes for Christmas! So here are a few things, not necessarily orange but scream FALL to me! Love this time of year! 

Click on numbers to view item!

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12

Becca & Aaron!

 I have been working with a friend on her house and wanted to share the boards Ive been working on for her! When I first pulled up, I saw orange lighted candlesticks in their windows and thought, "Oh no! How am I going to convince them they need to take those down!"  Luckily, I realized I had the wrong house! Whew!!! 

Her and her husband actually have any adorable house but just needed some direction on how to pull everything together!

They love pottery barn but based on my observation, also want some modern touches.  Here are their boards for the main living spaces.  Some items of which they already have and some being new things! 

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Balancing design and kids!

I am not a mother yet BUT I understand that being an interior designer means finding a way for mothers to still have STYLE and a home that caters to their children! So for my young readers who are mothers, I have a few tips for you!  So many of you don't jump in to get help with design because you think you kids will destroy it ( I know exactly what your thinking..."They will!!) but let me share with you a few wonderful ways to build an elegant home that still works for them!

1.  Pair formal shaped furniture with tough, durable fabrics!

Rather than a loose piece of furniture, choose chairs that are "fully stuffed".  A wingback chair looks much more put together than a slipcovered plop-in type of chair! You can cover these wingback chairs in fabric that is completely durable for your kids! Find fabric that is dark, patterned or a tough natural material like linen or burlap that you can scrub! 

(I LOVE this room!!!!)

2. I am not a big leather fan but keep in mind, it is definitely a kid-friendly choice! Don't buy a whole set but one sofa or an armchair can work with any space! Leather looks better with age so you have no worry about what your kiddos will do to it! 

3. Your rugs! One of the most popular spaces for spills! Take advantage of those new outdoor rugs! Most of them are made from recycled plastic and can withstand spills! You dont have to fill your entire home up with them but think about the areas in your house that get a lot of use or are likely to be spill zones! 

4. Install high shelving over your doorways so you know that they are out of reach of small hands! Also choose bold, deep wall colors! They can easily make your space have more still and hide the crayon drawings much easier!

5. Go for some wicker or rattan! It can take a beating and still look great! Wicker brings a simple chic French vibe to your house, which is very popular right now! Another good think about this type of furniture: Its usually has a fairly reasonable price tag! 

6. Bring outdoor fabrics in! The world of outdoor fabric has improved so much! JoAnn Fabrics always has quite a selection! These fabrics are incredibly sturdy and still very appealing indoors! You can try them on dining chairs, cushions or for pillows on your sofa! 

7. Bring a sense of play into your house! If you have kids, make it their space too! Chalkboard walls are great for YOU to make lists on and great for THEM to doodle on! Think about ways you can use their art as decor! Especially in the kitchen and laundry room! 

8. When it comes to designing a nursery or kids room, choose grown up pieces!  Stay away from furniture aimed specifically toward kids! Real grown-up furniture is perfectly appropriate in a childs space and will last much longer! Add fun whimsy pillows and art to instead to make it a fun space!

9.  Some things kids cant hurt! Think of the these things: the ceilings, the lighting, and the colors! Paint your ceilings! Choose stylish light fixtures! And don't settle on boring colors!

I would love to hear more ideas that you have about creating a family home that balances the reality of kids with design! Feel free to comment below! 

Enjoy your Wednesday! 

Fall is here!

I am no longer pushing my wreath making business (obviously focusing on interior design) but I did want to share two with you that I recently made! Hopefully it will get you into the Fall spirit! As if you weren't already ready! :)

On another note, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite fall pillows I found on etsy! Love the understated approach!

 

My Favorite: { See Plaid Pillow Here }

 Love { these } too!

{Birch branch Pillow!}

 { Spider Web Pillow! }

My Style! { Lattice! } Pillow!

Enjoy your weekend!!!!